Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem on December 9, 2024. (Photo by Maya Alleruzzo / POOL / AFP)
Jerusalem (EPICSTORIAN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a blistering condemnation of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, accusing him of catastrophic failure and deception in relation to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2024.
The statement, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, directly contradicts Bar’s affidavit, asserting that he neither alerted senior leadership in time nor acted responsibly on critical intelligence.
The statement opens by refuting Bar’s claim that he activated the entire security system on the night of the attack. “He forgot to wake the heads of the system—the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister. Had he done so, the massacre could have been prevented,” the PM’s Office wrote.
According to the statement, Bar instructed that Netanyahu’s military secretary be alerted at 5:15 a.m., but phone records allegedly show this did not happen until 6:13 a.m.—just minutes before the Hamas assault began. By that time, Bar had held information about a potential attack for over three hours, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“This confirms what all cabinet ministers have concluded—Ronen Bar failed miserably on October 7. That alone should justify his removal,” the statement continued.
Ronen Bar Misled the Public and Undermined Leadership
The Prime Minister’s Office also highlighted a controversial comment made by Bar two days before the massacre. On October 5, Bar reportedly stated: “Looking ahead, renewing understandings with Hamas on the principle of calm in exchange for relief shows potential for maintaining stability in Gaza.”
The statement denounces Bar as “the chief architect of failure,” saying his October 5 remarks reveal a grave misjudgment of Hamas’s intentions.
Dismissal Was Long Planned, Not Politically Motivated, Says PMO
In a direct rebuke of claims made by the Attorney General, the statement says Bar’s dismissal had already been planned as early as November 2024. This contradicts the assertion that his firing was linked to a Qatar-related investigation launched in February 2025.
“The dismissal was not intended to thwart the investigation—the investigation was launched to prevent the dismissal,” the Prime Minister’s Office alleged.
No Delay in Trial, No Unlawful Crackdown on Protesters
The statement also denied Bar’s claim that Netanyahu sought to postpone his trial. “On the contrary, the Prime Minister insisted the trial proceed without delay,” it said.
Additionally, the PM’s Office blamed Bar for failing to act against incitement and violent protests targeting senior officials and Netanyahu’s family. In particular, the statement cited Bar’s inaction over the use of flares launched by protesters toward the PM’s Caesarea residence, which nearly set a security guard on fire.
“Shin Bet failed to address the incitement and violence,” the statement said, adding that all calls from ministers and the Prime Minister demanded only equal enforcement—not unlawful suppression.
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The government continues to face scrutiny over its preparedness and response to the October 7 attack, but Netanyahu’s administration is now placing full responsibility for the intelligence failures on Ronen Bar, signaling a deepening political and institutional rift within Israel’s security leadership. To
